Help not losing weight
skee93aka810
Posts: 5 Member
Can someone help me understand the remaining calories on the app when you exercise. I am 47 and active/ instructor. I have lost weight in the past by reducing my calorie intake. However now I am trying to lose 20lbs and I was only eating 1100-1200 calories. I was told I was underrating and slowed down my metabolism. Therefore I just recently increased my intake to 1400-1600 calories and I am still not losing weight...I am only maintaining. I burned about 1200-1300 calories exercising a day. Do I need to eat more based on the the remaining calories to lose weight....it’s confusing to me and very frustrating.......my goal is set to lose 2lbs a week
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Replies
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2lb per week with only 20lb to lose is an agressive goal, you'd be better off to reset to lose 1lb per week. Yes you should be eating back some or all of your exercise calories.
Where does your calorie allowance come from? Your MFP profile or elsewhere? If MFP what does it specificially give you per day?
If you are not losing weight, its possible you are eating more than you think..are you weight and/or measuring you eat to verify calories or are you mostly guessimating?
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Your metabolism is fine. People who say that don't know what they are talking about. eating more will not make you lose weight. thats not how it works.
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Thanks for the feedback....in regards to my eating I am a vegetarian have been for years. I lost almost 70 lbs and had it off for almost 10 years. I use to be a runner and had knee surgery a year and a half ago which is when I started to gain the weight. I count my calories and consume a mostly plant based diet. I am not new to losing weight it’s just now what I use to do in the past is no longer working!!! I also strength train 2x a week....I use to weigh 145lbs and now I am at 168 on a 5’4 frame which is not good!0
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I also log my food intake on MFP.0
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You count calories and log in MFP but, as asked, are you weighing (solids) and measuring (liquids) all your food? I personally don’t weigh anything but myself, but I’m also 6’2” and 207, eating 2500 cals/day. Being a few hundred off either direction isn’t going to make a big difference. If you’re trying for a lower daily calories, a few hundred could be huge. Also, where are you getting the 1200-1300 calories a day in exercising from? If you were really eating 1200 and burning 1200 (through exercise alone, for any extended period of time), you wouldn’t just lose weight, you’d die.0
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For me, a 1200 cal burn would be running a half marathon or doing a 2 hr triathlon. Not something I would do on a daily basis. I am a huge fan of NOT eating my exercise cals, I just try to stick to my TDEE-15% formula and let the exercise take care of itself. I once had another triathlete tell me while training for a half ironman "if exercise meant weight loss by now I'd be closing on on my birth weight".6
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skee93aka810 wrote: »Can someone help me understand the remaining calories on the app when you exercise. I am 47 and active/ instructor. I have lost weight in the past by reducing my calorie intake. However now I am trying to lose 20lbs and I was only eating 1100-1200 calories. I was told I was underrating and slowed down my metabolism. Therefore I just recently increased my intake to 1400-1600 calories and I am still not losing weight...I am only maintaining. I burned about 1200-1300 calories exercising a day. Do I need to eat more based on the the remaining calories to lose weight....it’s confusing to me and very frustrating.......my goal is set to lose 2lbs a week
You are not the same as you were in the past, your starting point is different. So start with what you can learn from where you are and how to go about assuring you are in a deficit this time.
1) Where are you getting an exercise calorie burn of 1200-1300 a day?
2) Do you have a food scale and use that to weigh and log your food intake.
3) How long has it been since you went from 1100-1200 to 1400-1600?
4) You should not be trying to lose 2 pounds per week with only 20 pounds to lose. Goal should be around 1 for the first 5-10 pounds and decrease it to .5 per week for the remainder. You're metabolism is not broken, folks were most likely saying your calorie goal is too agressive for your weight loss and amount of exercise.2 -
As stated before I am a fitness Instructor therefore I teach and workout at the gym. Therefore my 1200-1300 daily calorie burn comes from this plus I enjoy working out. Most of the calorie burn are from teaching Spin Classes and machines whether accurate or not it was good enough in the past and helped me lose weight. Plus I have started back running 2-3 miles 2 days a week. I have never weighed or measured my food not sure why I would do this now because I pretty much eat the same things I ate when I lost the 70 lbs. Hiwever thanks for everyone’s feedback but would be really interested in hearing from someone that is very athletic..... thanks again!6
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skee93aka810 wrote: »not sure why I would do this now
Because your lack of results are showing you that understanding how much you consume does matter.
(If it helps, I am very athletic. And accurate logging matters for us as much as it does for anyone else).13 -
Also your water intake is critical. If you are not consuming enough water you simply can't metabolize the fat. When I was training for my first and only marathon, I simply ate to match my level of exertion. I wanted to lose weight but wasn't losing it. When I started tracking every morsel that went into my mouth, that was when I realized that I had increased my intake to match my output. Our bodies are smart and make sure we have the energy we need. Tracking and staying below your target calorie goal along with you water will do the trick.
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skee93aka810 wrote: »As stated before I am a fitness Instructor therefore I teach and workout at the gym. Therefore my 1200-1300 daily calorie burn comes from this plus I enjoy working out. Most of the calorie burn are from teaching Spin Classes and machines whether accurate or not it was good enough in the past and helped me lose weight. Plus I have started back running 2-3 miles 2 days a week. I have never weighed or measured my food not sure why I would do this now because I pretty much eat the same things I ate when I lost the 70 lbs. Hiwever thanks for everyone’s feedback but would be really interested in hearing from someone that is very athletic..... thanks again!
I am quite athletic. The advise you get from people on these boards have already been or are doing exactly what you are try to achieve.
Not measuring or weighing of your intake will then require you to eating less food no matter how you arrive that, a calorie deficit is what you have to create to lose. I guess you go back to what worked before and keep working that method or try a different approach.4 -
I’m perplexed how one is able to function let alone be active on 1200 calories a day. Curious what that looks like and besides weight loss how it feels?1
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Hi, I’ve started and finding it pretty easy. Are you in Australia?0
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skee93aka810 wrote: »As stated before I am a fitness Instructor therefore I teach and workout at the gym. Therefore my 1200-1300 daily calorie burn comes from this plus I enjoy working out. Most of the calorie burn are from teaching Spin Classes and machines whether accurate or not it was good enough in the past and helped me lose weight. Plus I have started back running 2-3 miles 2 days a week. I have never weighed or measured my food not sure why I would do this now because I pretty much eat the same things I ate when I lost the 70 lbs. Hiwever thanks for everyone’s feedback but would be really interested in hearing from someone that is very athletic..... thanks again!
My spin bike says I burn 500-600 calories, working pretty hard, in a spin class. My heart rate monitor says more like 250, for my current weight (low 130s) and actual HR range.
I don't know about your machines, but I'm pretty skeptical about machine calorie estimates, based on this experience. My rowing machine comes closer.
You say you're doing what you've done before - not measuring food, eating what you used to eat to lose - and it isn't working. Then you say you don't know why you'd do things you've never done before that other people say have worked for them. This seems like a disconnect? What do you hope to hear from someone who's athletic, that's different from what the athletic women above have said?
I'm pretty athletic. I've also been vegetarian for almost 44 years, if that matters (I don't particularly think it does).
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skee93aka810 wrote: »Can someone help me understand the remaining calories on the app when you exercise. I am 47 and active/ instructor. I have lost weight in the past by reducing my calorie intake. However now I am trying to lose 20lbs and I was only eating 1100-1200 calories. I was told I was underrating and slowed down my metabolism. Therefore I just recently increased my intake to 1400-1600 calories and I am still not losing weight...I am only maintaining. I burned about 1200-1300 calories exercising a day. Do I need to eat more based on the the remaining calories to lose weight....it’s confusing to me and very frustrating.......my goal is set to lose 2lbs a week
So here's why you are getting the answers you are:
Your body requires a minimum amount of calories just to keep itself alive - breathing, thinking, digesting, etc. For the average woman, this will usually be in the 1100 - 1500 cal range (obviously there will be some a bit outside that range). You say you are eating 1500 cals per day and burning 1200 per day exercising. That would leave your body 300 cals per day to function, which is so far off I feel safe saying it's impossible. You would be literally killing yourself - hair falling out, muscles wasting, body begging for food and sleep. A slowed metabolism will lose maybe a couple of hundred calories in BMR, not all of the calories.
So either you are eating more than you think or burning through exercise less than you think. That's why people are suggesting that you spend some time addressing your food logging and looking into whether your calorie burns are overstated.
If you don't want to do that, there is really no other way for us to suggest anything else. Accurate data is the key to figuring out how to fix a problem. In the most general terms possible, if you aren't losing weight, you are eating too much. Whether that is due to inaccurate calories in, inaccurate calories out, or a medical condition that makes you a one in a million case for the record books, we can't tell. But you are not living on 300 net calories per day.
I hope you are able to figure it out, best of luck!9 -
Your post was helpful....and I really think that’s the problem due to my exercise activity I am not giving my body enough nutrition to function which is why it’s holding on to the fat. Most of the food I eat is pre package like salads and raw veggies, fruit etc...therefore I am going to pull back on some of the daily exercising (morning/afternoon) which was not an exaggeration by the way however it was a lot of stress on my body and joints and focus on eating 1500 cal and burning half of that to have a net of 750 so my body can function more appropriately. Also not rely so heavily on the gym machines. So hopefully then I will start back seeing results...11
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skee93aka810 wrote: »Your post was helpful....and I really think that’s the problem due to my exercise activity I am not giving my body enough nutrition to function which is why it’s holding on to the fat. Most of the food I eat is pre package like salads and raw veggies, fruit etc...therefore I am going to pull back on some of the daily exercising (morning/afternoon) which was not an exaggeration by the way however it was a lot of stress on my body and joints and focus on eating 1500 cal and burning half of that to have a net of 750 so my body can function more appropriately. Also not rely so heavily on the gym machines. So hopefully then I will start back seeing results...
I'm not sure how you got that from my post. Net 750 is not enough calories. But that doesn't matter because it is not humanly possible that your numbers are correct, which was really my point.
If you were really netting 300 or even 750 cals, you would be in distress, your body would be failing you. It wouldn't be "holding onto fat", it would be ceasing to function.
Obviously you've decided what you think is how things work and how to proceed, so I'll just wish you luck and bow out.13 -
skee93aka810 wrote: »Your post was helpful....and I really think that’s the problem due to my exercise activity I am not giving my body enough nutrition to function which is why it’s holding on to the fat. Most of the food I eat is pre package like salads and raw veggies, fruit etc...therefore I am going to pull back on some of the daily exercising (morning/afternoon) which was not an exaggeration by the way however it was a lot of stress on my body and joints and focus on eating 1500 cal and burning half of that to have a net of 750 so my body can function more appropriately. Also not rely so heavily on the gym machines. So hopefully then I will start back seeing results...
Your body is not holding on to fat because you're not giving it enough nutrition. It doesn't work that way.
Start weighing your food.7 -
skee93aka810 wrote: »Your post was helpful....and I really think that’s the problem due to my exercise activity I am not giving my body enough nutrition to function which is why it’s holding on to the fat. Most of the food I eat is pre package like salads and raw veggies, fruit etc...therefore I am going to pull back on some of the daily exercising (morning/afternoon) which was not an exaggeration by the way however it was a lot of stress on my body and joints and focus on eating 1500 cal and burning half of that to have a net of 750 so my body can function more appropriately. Also not rely so heavily on the gym machines. So hopefully then I will start back seeing results...
You want to *net* 750 calories so your body can function more appropriately? And you make a living in the fitness industry?
Fortunately, as @kimny72 has pointed out, your numbers are completely off-base and you are eating more than you think, because if your plans were succeeding, it would be a very scary situation. Out of concern, please educate yourself. A good starting point:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest5 -
You are eating way more than you think. Get a scale and weigh your usual amounts of foods to see just exactly how many calories you are eating, I think you would be really surprised. Also, you need to net the number of calories MFP gives you to properly fuel your body. 750 calories isn't it. If you truly were only netting 750 calories, you would be starving and weak. Your calories should most likely be around 1500 or more, if you are as active as you say.2
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skee93aka810 wrote: »Your post was helpful....and I really think that’s the problem due to my exercise activity I am not giving my body enough nutrition to function which is why it’s holding on to the fat. Most of the food I eat is pre package like salads and raw veggies, fruit etc...therefore I am going to pull back on some of the daily exercising (morning/afternoon) which was not an exaggeration by the way however it was a lot of stress on my body and joints and focus on eating 1500 cal and burning half of that to have a net of 750 so my body can function more appropriately. Also not rely so heavily on the gym machines. So hopefully then I will start back seeing results...
So you want to lose weight, you aren’t losing weight, and your solution is to eat more and exercise less.
It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for ‘em.12 -
I’m perplexed how one is able to function let alone be active on 1200 calories a day. Curious what that looks like and besides weight loss how it feels?
I have been on 1000-1200 per day since last September, doing a medically supervised weight loss program. I was getting three shakes/puddings per day, 200 calories each, for breakfast, lunch, and second lunch. Than i get 300 calories of protein and 100 calories of veggies for dinner. I walked briskly for about hour and a half per day. Lost about 70 pounds and I am now being weaned off the program as I am almost at my goal weight. Almost all of my vitamins/nutrients came from the shakes.1 -
This thread makes my head hurt..
"I'm not losing weight doing what I've always done."
"Do you weigh and measure your food? Otherwise how do you know what you are really taking in?"
"I've never done that, why now?"
"Because you said you aren't losing weight."
"You're right, I'm probably exercising TOO much so I'm holding onto fat."
"I'm sorry, what?"
You came here looking for answers, you've been advised like 10 times what the issue is. a) you are probably not accurately logging your food and eating way more than you think you are. Great that it worked years ago, but it ain't working now and, b) you are probably over estimating your workout burns as well.
For the record: you're metabolism does not slow down if you eat too little. Eating more does NOT = losing weight. If you eat no calories for days and weeks it will slow down eventually because you will be dead. Second, your body does not "hold onto fat" if you exercise a lot. There is no gene that goes, "Golly we are working a lot! I better make some fat and store it... HERE!". Your body will burn fuel that you give it and in the absence of fuel it will use stored resources, including fat, muscle, and more.
How does the definition of insanity go? You keep doing the same thing over and over expecting different results? Use the chart that was posted, that will give you the best place to start. Just keep an open mind and be willing to try something different in order to get a different result. People here have succeeded doing the things they are recommending to you. I promise it will be worth it!
Hope this doesn't come off as too cranky...
Good luck!
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If your BMR was 1500 cal/day and you were lightly mobile in your daily routine but didn't exercise at all, maybe that brings your total daily calorie burn to around 1700 cal/day. -1000 cal/day to lose 2lbs per week = you need to eat 700 calories per day... If you work out and burn 500 calories you should eat 500 more calories = 1300 consumed calories per day.
The above is informational and not a healthy way to lose weight. If your only 20 pounds overweight, you should shoot for .5 a week weight loss. That means you should realistically consume 1450 accurate calories per day and also consume 100% calories burned through exercise. So if you are a fitness instructor and burn 1000 calories while at work, you should consume 2450 calories that day.0 -
This thread makes my head hurt..
"I'm not losing weight doing what I've always done."
"Do you weigh and measure your food? Otherwise how do you know what you are really taking in?"
"I've never done that, why now?"
"Because you said you aren't losing weight."
"You're right, I'm probably exercising TOO much so I'm holding onto fat."
"I'm sorry, what?"
You came here looking for answers, you've been advised like 10 times what the issue is. a) you are probably not accurately logging your food and eating way more than you think you are. Great that it worked years ago, but it ain't working now and, b) you are probably over estimating your workout burns as well.
For the record: you're metabolism does not slow down if you eat too little. Eating more does NOT = losing weight. If you eat no calories for days and weeks it will slow down eventually because you will be dead. Second, your body does not "hold onto fat" if you exercise a lot. There is no gene that goes, "Golly we are working a lot! I better make some fat and store it... HERE!". Your body will burn fuel that you give it and in the absence of fuel it will use stored resources, including fat, muscle, and more.
How does the definition of insanity go? You keep doing the same thing over and over expecting different results? Use the chart that was posted, that will give you the best place to start. Just keep an open mind and be willing to try something different in order to get a different result. People here have succeeded doing the things they are recommending to you. I promise it will be worth it!
Hope this doesn't come off as too cranky... Good luck!
Well actually it does. It just doesn't slow down all that much.2 -
stanmann571 wrote: »This thread makes my head hurt..
"I'm not losing weight doing what I've always done."
"Do you weigh and measure your food? Otherwise how do you know what you are really taking in?"
"I've never done that, why now?"
"Because you said you aren't losing weight."
"You're right, I'm probably exercising TOO much so I'm holding onto fat."
"I'm sorry, what?"
You came here looking for answers, you've been advised like 10 times what the issue is. a) you are probably not accurately logging your food and eating way more than you think you are. Great that it worked years ago, but it ain't working now and, b) you are probably over estimating your workout burns as well.
For the record: you're metabolism does not slow down if you eat too little. Eating more does NOT = losing weight. If you eat no calories for days and weeks it will slow down eventually because you will be dead. Second, your body does not "hold onto fat" if you exercise a lot. There is no gene that goes, "Golly we are working a lot! I better make some fat and store it... HERE!". Your body will burn fuel that you give it and in the absence of fuel it will use stored resources, including fat, muscle, and more.
How does the definition of insanity go? You keep doing the same thing over and over expecting different results? Use the chart that was posted, that will give you the best place to start. Just keep an open mind and be willing to try something different in order to get a different result. People here have succeeded doing the things they are recommending to you. I promise it will be worth it!
Hope this doesn't come off as too cranky... Good luck!
Well actually it does. It just doesn't slow down all that much.
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